What's in a name? For LimeLeap, apparently, a whole lot
Someone asked me the other day if I thought IT solution providers (what you might call a reseller, VAR or systems integrator) could build a reasonable branding message around green tech or environmental issues. While I haven't seen a whole lot of these companies do anything publicly, two jumped to mind immediately as evangelists for this approach.
The first is eMazzanti, which I've written about a couple of times so I won't go into much detail here, other than to say that green criteria are now a vital part of the vendors they represent. (Note to self; Need to find out how they're faring with their green push and whether or not the economy is getting in the way.)
More recently, I talked to Intersoft, er, I should say LimeLeap Solutions. As you can read on the company's Web site, Intersoft changed its name a few months ago after more than 15 years in business because CEO Marco Luzuriaga felt passionately about green technology issues. The company, which is based in Washington, D.C., provides a range of managed services, including software development. Luzuriaga says he believes that's the key to acting as a green technology provider, because managed services can make an impact not just on energy savings (by shutting systems down proactively according to certain schedules) but on the gas saved because a technician has to travel to the customer site less often.
Intersoft also is looking at how it can help its customers control paper consumption, recycling and reuse of older systems and so on. Whether or not its customers are actually for green IT services, that's how its sales approach is differentiated. "In the worst case scenario, we're doing it. We feel good about it. But we're not really doing anything for the client," Luzuriaga says.
The company also has started a local roundtable group called LimeAid where business owners and others can discuss best practices for "greening." The inaugural meeting was May 15. (Another note to self: Need to find out how that meeting went!)